Fear the Walking Dead - Season 5 discussion and spoilers.

Spoiler

I thought so too, but his return was announced way back in December.
https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdea...walking-dead-troy-otto-daniel-sharman-return/

 

Fear the Walking Dead
Season 5 / Episode 3 "Humbug's Gulch"

Morgan: Sort of a nice moment when he was genuinely pleased at seeing Dwight again. Certainly not the emotion one Daryl Dixon would express if he ran into him.

Dwight: So, he's been away from the Virginia area for a year. How Sherry made it across the country--with nothing except the dress on her back--with endless walkers and living predators all over the place is anyone's guess.

Dwight not committing suicide does not necessarily mean he's got his head on straight. It would be nice to see him reunited with Sherry, but in the event he never finds her, or learn she fell into the wrong hands, viewers should expect Dwight to consider the hard way out again.

Alicia: Ehh, the problem with Alicia being so eager to help the kids who do not want it is that contrary to her stated motives in conversation with Morgan; she has shifted revenge for an aggressive urge to help and misplaced survivor's guilt, as if that's filling a void--and not thinking of a sensible plan at all.

I'm guessing once she learns the children have played them, Alicia will either return to her angry self, or she will go full Morgan and insist on "saving" the children...who--y the way--seem very dangerous for their age(s), as it appears they are responsible for the spiked planks and walker roadblocks. Children as a an independent, legitimate threat (and not insane like Lizzie, reckless like Henry, or commanded Fagin-style like the kids Michonne was forced to kill) would be a new twist in the TV-WD franchise

June and John Dorie: "We're serious people" according to June. I hope that comes into play this season, since they're sort of just running around popping walkers and not being much a tough unit.

Come on...splitting a bullet on the edge of an axe to kill two walkers? The so-called "San Antonio Split?" Even on a zombie show, that's stretching believability.

Luciana: "If we can almost die for someone...whatever comes next...how bad can it be?" Er...really dying?

NOTES: Someone in the production really wanted to play "zombies in the Old West" in this episode, or get something like that on their director's reel....

If they could secure Humbug's Gulch from walkers and random people, what on earth would prevent them from staying there? Its a solid shelter with food and weapons, and John knows the region giving the group an advantage. If they want to help people, fine, but a solid base of operations is the priority...

The continued focus on John and June's relationship was this episode's big saving grace. Yes, I know it will take time for all of the hints and threads to actually become a thing, and its still early in the season, but the "who is it" threats between the people in black uniforms, the children and whoever else should pick up steam before it becomes a tiresome drag into this fifth year.

GRADE: C+.

 

I'll admit, the Wild West town was fun. And it is nice that although being a mostly John and June centred episode, the rest of the cast (aside from Strand) had an active presence throughout the episode as well. I like this approach better than the go with a couple of characters for this week and ignore everyone else thing both Walking Dead shows tend to get hung up on.

So, Dwight has been on a quest to find his wife across the country ever since the Negan War ended on Walking Dead, and this has made him a bit crazy in the interim. While a fine enough starting point, it really isn't clear yet how he's going to be incorporated into the Fear cast and storyline. I mean, yes, he'll likely form a triad with John and June which will likely help him if not find his wife then at least find a purpose and reason to move on. But aside from being another skilled fighter, what does he bring to the group which can be utilized?

Also, as I believe I asked when it was first announced Dwight would be joining the show, have him and Morgan ever interacted on Walking Dead? The recognize each other here, but as I think, I can't recall them ever even being in the same scene together on Walking Dead. Most Morgan's dealings with the Saviors were with Gavin and the douchebag who killed Henry's brother. The majority of Dwight's dealings with non-Saviors were with Darryl, Rosita and Eugene with some stuff with Rick and Tara here and there.

Are we really suppose to believe those kids were responsible for all the Walker roadblocks and hanging heads? That seems a bit much for three kids who I doubt are much older than early teens, if that. I mean that huge strung together mob of Walkers the gang were about to chop up just before Alicia got the radio call from the kids itself looks to be too much for just the three of them to pull off. I'm guessing either there's a separate group which the kids have begun to imitate, or the kids belong to a larger group. Actually, the larger group theory could very well be the case, I doubt it's a coincidence the call to Alicia came just before the gang was about to cut down the massive roadblock. Likely on the other side is where the group has their base, and the call was put in to distract the gang before they came through. Which could suggest whoever this group is, they know they're not a match for gang in a straight out fight.

 

He's there more for character than a specific purpose like a skillset. Whatever he can refer to as a former servant of Negan might come into play when this season's Big Bad makes its presence known. And on that note, this series needs to step up its antagonist game, as none have appeared to be as threatening as say, the Saviors, or even the worst of Woodbury.

We're supposed to assume they were always aware of each other off-screen. The Saviors constantly harassed the heroes--not just when they were on-screen, so Dwight must have run into, or knew about Morgan at one time or another.

Sure, but it could also be a group of kids, which we should assume could happen in the chaos of a zombie apocalypse, That, or they are just bait to catch the kid of people who would be sympathetic enough to help.

 

Sometimes it only works if you make allowances for Walking Dead tropes and logic but I have found the season entertaining so far. I got my fill of Dwight on the main series and I don't really think Fear needed him per se but I don't think it's a negative yet. Might help that I watched Fear in an extremely scattershot way catching it here and there after abandoning it early on and didn't get back into it until recently as I don't think this season is fitting its typical formula that some might expect.

 

I can certainly see that. The group's leadership could be teenagers, with these kids currently on some sort of initiation rite to prove their worth. Which could be the deal with the one left in the van at the end, he's already been deemed unsuitable.

 

Well, I reckon that was a good 'un. That town weren't big enough fer John and a bunch o' dead folk. San Antonio Split, eh? I once had a filly who split to San Antonio.

Nothing like a showdown with a horde of Zombies in an Old West town. The Walking Dead shows don't usually show this kind of humor, and it's nice to see it slipping in now and then. Between this episode and the radioactive Zombies, I wonder if some of the creators were fans of Z Nation.

So the Walker Walls and the Clicking Zombie Heads are the creations of the kiddies. Are they weird post-Apocalyptic children who have been completely dehumanized by the Zombie Holocaust, or is there something else going on? They seem to just want our people to go away, but they're not trying to kill them. Are they hiding something, or someone?

And poor Morgan with his fake substitute stick.

 

Yeah, seeing him walk up with that pipe made me chuckle too. Last week when he was moaning about his stick, I thought it was just the sentimental attachment because he got it from Eastman. Turns out he just needs something to large to swing around. They should totally make substitute stick an ongoing thing in each episode, where he has to get a different substitute each week. Then have an episode where the gang are at an abandoned sci-fi convention and Morgan finds a replica Klingon bat'leth. Slaying Walkers with a bat'leth would make an awesome moment for sure.

 

I'd probably have to change my underwear if that happened.

 

Heh, funny, but that would never happen. Have you ever noticed something about the WD series? Real world pop culture is rarely if ever mentioned. Not just pretending zombie movies never existed, but almost any kind of pop culture. The parent series had some 80s TV series (on videotape) playing on a TV at the Sanctuary, and recently had a cartoon projected in Ezekiel's theatre, but those were connections to reality. A Star Trek visual nod would be next to impossible, I imagine.

 

Star Trek would be a cool nod to throw in. Completely unrelated, but I love in the comics when they finally get power on at the prison, the first movie they choose for movie night is Ghost Busters

 

Oh, I know. But I got the image of Lennie James swinging a bat'leth in my head and it's so awesome I had to at least mention it.

 

That makes me think....are the showrunners of Fear in any way fans of genres in general? As opposed to the Flash where they go way beyong previous TV and comics referrences but others as well

 

Why do you guys keep wishing for Fear the Walking Dead to turn campy? This season is already too campy as is, and it doesn't mesh with the rest of the series.

What made The Walking Dead special is that they did a zombie movie without being self-referential or comedic. There is no need to turn to that now.

 

Don't know about the Fear writers in particular. Scott Gimple is a Star Trek fan, and has cited TBOBW as one of his favourite cliffhangers. Robert Kirkman is a Star Wars fan, and on Talking Dead back in 2016 when Chris Hardwick mentioned he had just attended the Rogue One premiere, Kirkman tried pumping him for spoilers.

 

That settles it then.

Negan ends up Rick's father in the Rick movies and chops his hand off. He then rebuilds sanctuary, but Rick blows it up by utilizing a design flaw where a single gunshot into a tiny hole explodes the building. It's a difficult shot, but Rick closes his eyes and a vision of Coraaaaal comes to him and then he makes the shot, and gets a medal from Carol in a large ceremony.

 

Well we did get a,Don't mess with Texas t-shirt for a pop culture reference. Jason

 

It's refreshing that the show is at least trying to be fun. It'd be interesting if each Walking Dead spinoff had its own tone. Not every series needs to be fucking depressing as hell and grim. Besides, humor is a good way to cope with stressful situations

 

Hmm. Maybe a half-hour Zombie Apocalypse situation comedy in the style of M*A*S*H....

 

Well, now I got the MASH opening credits in my head but with Rick's helicopter flying around and the Black Armour soldiers running about.